It seems some in the so-called mainstream media have a very low opinion of black Republicans. Bloomberg writer Francis Wilkinson created something of a stir after attributing the success of Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., to some form of GOP affirmative action that lowers the bar for blacks, Twitchy reported Friday.

Wilkinson observed that Scott does not have a challenger, unlike a number of other Republicans. Wilkinson said he was told by an unnamed South Carolina Republican there are two reasons for this.

"First, Scott placed himself so far to the right that there was no space for a Tea Party challenge on ideological grounds. He has an 'F' on the NAACP legislative scorecard and a higher score on the right-wing Heritage Action scorecard -- 94 out of a possible 100 -- than fellow South Carolinian Joe 'You Lie' Wilson," Wilkinson wrote.

"Second, Scott benefits from a widespread recognition among Tea Partyers and conservatives in general that a high-profile black conservative is a thing most rare and precious. The act of supporting a black conservative is both an absolution for the past and a shield for the present and future," he added.

In other words, it's all about race, not the fact that Tim Scott is a very successful conservative Senator who has earned the respect of his base. But he wasn't finished, saying Scott, along with former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain and former RNC chief Michael Steele are "members of an endangered political species for whom the bar is effectively lowered."

The article did not sit well with a number of conservatives on Twitter, who saw Wilkinson's piece as overtly racist.

"Let's ignore the fact that Tim Scott is a smart, politically savvy conservative Senator and just talk about his skin color," one person said.

"Remember guys, racism is cool if the black guy has an 'R' next to his name," another person added.

As we have reported a number of times, black conservatives are often the target of liberal racism. As is often the case, the offenders are never held accountable by those who scream "racism" the loudest. People like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson never take liberals to task for racist comments or slurs hurled at black conservatives.

In a rebuttal at the Examiner, Green said that if Scott was a moderate Republican with a record and a scorecard similar to John Boehner or Mitch McConnell, "Wilkinson's argument would perhaps be credible."

"If Scott was in House or Senate leadership and still faced no challenger, Wilkinson's column would be troubling for conservatives. If Scott made a habit of infuriating conservatives by appearing on Sunday political shows and making headlines blasting the Tea Party movement and was still unchallenged, we'd have an issue," he added.

"But Tim Scott is the fifth-most conservative member of the United States Senate," he wrote.

Instead, Green noted, Wilkinson cites a single anonymous source to make the case that Scott is the beneficiary of Republican affirmative action. Wilkinson did not immediately respond to our request for comments.

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Joe Newby is an IT professional who has been involved in conservative politics for years. In 1991, he ran for City Council in Riverside, California, and has served as a campaign manager for local conservatives in California and Idaho, including former Idaho State Representative Jeff Alltus. For a year, he hosted a local access cable talk show that covered conservative politics. He attended the University of Arkansas, Community College at Batesville where he graduated summa cum laude in 2005. He currently lives in north Idaho with his bride of 24 years and can be reached at ljnewby@peoplepc.com.